Love, Lies, and Fate
by AnimeCatMew
Summary: Gumi is a girl who lives in poverty, barely making enough money to live. She never expected she'd become invloved with the problems of a little street girl she met one day. Her life would change after meeting Rin, and it'd never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I wasn't planning on making this story, I was working on my oneshot story and The Doll Tied With Red String, but I really wanted to make a GumiXRin story so here I go. Please enjoy~**

Chapter 1

It was a dimly lit morning. The sky was a light gray with the moon still showing its face in the sky. Snow seldom clung to the ground, giving the cool October morning a winter like feeling.

A sigh escaped the girl's lips as she watched the scenery from her bedroom window.

She was tired; it was evident from the look in her emerald eyes. Her green hair lay down to her shoulders and resting upon her head were a pair of red goggles which she had received from her mother when she was only five.

Still in nightgown, the girl grabbed a candle from the top of a shelf. She fumbled through her drawers for a bit, searching for something to bring her candle to life, but after five minutes passed she quickly gave up and exited her room in the dark.

She waited a few moments for her eyes to adjust, which didn't take long since her house was always dark and dimly lit.

She lived in quite an old house, old and poorly built. It was entirely made from wood, the floorboards would creak with every step, threatening to break under the smallest of weight and it was tiny, only containing two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a couple other small, clattered rooms.

All of this was just evidence that the girl was living in poverty.

The girl had been living like this with her mother every since she was seven, when her dad had left them, taking all the money they had.

Her mom had lost her will to do anything after that event. She'd spend her days just lying in bed, dully staring into nothingness. No life would shine in her mother's once bright and caring hazel eyes.

The girl took it to herself to get a job when she turned 18, (which she turned a month ago) It wasn't the best job she could have, working at a small DVD rental store in a small mall, but at least she was making enough to feed both herself and her mother.

She made her way to the bathroom, brushing her teeth before getting changed into a pair of jeans a small blue T-shirt, and a little black sweater. After doing so she exited the bathroom and made her way downstairs, ignoring the creaks they made with each step.

She was pleasantly surprised to see her mother sitting at the small kitchen table, actually eating something.

"Good morning mother" The girl politely greeted, sitting besides the said woman.

"…..morning Gumi" The woman replied, popping a blueberry into her mouth.

"How are you today?" The girl, Gumi asked.

"I'm fine" The mother replied, but the older teen could easily tell that the adult was lying. "That's good" She nodded, "It's good to see that you're eating"

Glancing at her daughter, the woman replied, "You barely eat yourself, Gumi"

She was met with silence.

"I have no time to eat" she replied after a while. "I'm too busy"

"Food is a necessity" her mom stated matter o factly, "just look at how skinny you are"

Gumi sighed. "I know I'm skinny, Mom, but that's what happens when you live in poverty"

The woman hesitated, before replying, "I know that I haven't been doing much to help you, and that I've been such a waste of space, and I'm sincerely sorry" She let out a heavy sigh before continuing, "please always remember that mommy will always love and care about you"

Smiling softly, Gumi murmured, "Thanks mom, I love you too" Glancing at the clock, she added, "It's getting late, I better get going"

"Alright Honey, take care" Her mother replied.

Quickly getting on her white boots, Gumi made her way outside. She made her way through the street that'd take her to the mall in which the store she worked for was located. The walk took about twenty minutes and Gumi was always exhausted by the time she would arrive to work. She really didn't know how much longer she could put up with this, especially since winter was approaching and she'd have to walk in the cold, stinging air.

As she pondered on the thought a small coughing sound caught her attention.

"Who could that be?" she mused, looking around only to see nothing. Normally she didn't care about what kind of creatures were in her surroundings, but people usually never walked though this area, so she had to double check just to be sure nobody was stalking her.

"Who's there?" She asked

Silence was her only answer.

Shaking her head slightly, Gumi mentally scolded herself. She was wasting her time; she was going to be late if she kept dawdling around.

However, she hadn't even taken a single step before a sound similar to a whimper interfered. She decided to ignore the noise and walked ahead, but was stopped by a small tug at her shirt.

Whipping around, she growled, "What?" but went silent by the sight of a small teenage girl staring up at her, blue eyes wide and blond hair all messy, sticking out in all directions.

"Oh…." Gumi started, a bit surprised, "Hello there"

She certainly didn't expect to find a teenager out here. The kid was probably just lost, however the thought left her mind as she stared at the girl. Her clothes were torn, tattered like rags and she was thin, way thinner than Gumi was bone thin for a lack of a better word. She was also very pale as if she had never seen sunlight before. The girl was most likely a street kid.

"H….hello" The girl murmured with a soft, innocent voice. "I….I'm sorry to bother you, but…..do you happen to have any food?" Desperation filled the teen's eyes as she stared up at the older girl.

Gumi stared at the girl; the need to help overwhelmed her. "Yeah….." she started before reaching into her jean pocket, "I think I took an apple with me…." She pulled the red fruit out of her pocket, holding it out for the blond to see.

The younger girl's face lit up like a little girl who was just told that Santa was coming to visit. "Oh thank you!" she exclaimed, delicately taking the small fruit form the older girl, as if any rough movements might break the apple.

Gumi couldn't help but smile as she watched the small teen enjoy her apple. It felt good to have done an act of benevolence, and help someone in need. She was then shocked as she felt small arms wrapped around her, hugging her lightly.

"Thank you" the teen whispered.

"No need for thanks" Gumi gently replied, "I'm always happy to help"

The blond gave her a smile. "My name is Rin" she introduced.

"Hello Rin" Gumi returned the girl's smile. "They call me Gumi"

"I won't forget your kindness, Gumi" Rin murmured, bowing slightly in an act of respect.

A look of concern masked over the older girl's face. "Do you have a home? She asked.

Rin hesitated, before replying "Of course…."

Gumi could tell the teen wasn't being honest by the way she was staring down, wearing a sad yet sort of fearful expression on her face.

"You're lying" The green head whispered.

"….It doesn't matter" Rin replied after awhile. "I've lived on my own for many years"

"….but, don't you have a family?" Gumi asked.

A glint of sadness and anger flashed through the blue eyes of the younger girl. "I don't need a family" She faced the opposite direction of the older teen, holding back tears.

The older girl gently rested her hand on the smaller kid's shoulder, but moved aside when Rin pulled away. Without another word the blond ran away, deeper into the cold outside world, leaving Gumi to stare after her with a strange feeling of emptiness.

Glancing at her watch, she was reminded that she was late for work. "Damnit" she cursed as she ran off, rushing through the snow left on the ground, her boots being filled with large icy chunks, but she ignored the numbing feeling as she made her way to the mall.

By the time she had arrived to the store, DVD King it was called, it was already noon and the teen was exhausted.

Mrs. Kakuri, the boss, immediately approached her. "Gumi, you're late"

"I'm sorry, I got side tracked" Gumi murmured.

Sighing lightly, the woman stated, "You look terrible, I think you need to go back home and rest for the day, you already missed to much work anyway"

A small groan escaped from the green head, she didn't want to walk all the way back home through the snow and the cold when she only got here a minute ago. However, she knew arguing with her boss would be pointless. The woman never took no for an answer.

"I guess you're right" was all she replied.

. . .

The trip back home wasn't nearly as bad as the trip to the mall, only because she didn't have to rush there. She wondered if she'd see Rin again but wasn't too surprised to find no sight of the street kid. Still, it disappointed her just a bit, but she tried to ignore the thought.

"I'm home" she announced as she entered her home.

There was no answer.

"….Hello?" She called out. "Mom?"

Still, she was only answered with silence.

Starting to feel worried, Gumi rushed through her house, calling for the mom who never answered. She dashed up the stairs, ignoring how the old things shook with each step.

She dashed into the small room that belonged to her mother only to find the woman asleep in her bed.

Sighing softly in relief, Gumi approached the sleeping form nestled in the bed. "Mom…" she murmured gently, lightly shaking the woman.

Her mother didn't wake up, she only lay still, like stone, and her smooth, pale skin felt as cold as one too.

"Mom?" she asked, gently prodding the older green head.

Still nothing, the woman didn't move, she didn't even look like she was breathing.

"Mom wake up!" Gumi shouted, pulling down the bed's covers only to reveal something she wished she had never seen.

A pool of blood stained the inner bed sheets' surrounding her mother's limp form, a large gash was formed at the woman's chest, still moist from fresh blood. Next to her lay a lone steak knife, glistening in bloody redness.

Gumi could only stare, incredulous at the sight, her mouth agape in total shock.

Her mother had committed suicide.

**Author's Note: So here we go, this story is pretty much all in Gumi's point of view since I do way too many stories where Rin is the main character. I pretty much started this story because of the fact that I am so deeply in love with this couple, and want to spread the love to other friendly readers and such XD. Expect a lot of oneshots of these two :3. Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it, I'm not so impressed by it but I was writing this after my midterms from this week. Please notify me if you want me to keep going with this, I have chapter 2 almost done, but I don't want to upload it if nobody really cares to read it =/. Anyways, I haven't updated in awhile, gomen, I'm such a lazy kid. I will be updating my other stories this weekend. Anyways, I should stop typing now because my author's note looks like a paragraph o-o Chao!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gumi hadn't been to work in a week. The death of her mother had left the green head feeling empty hearted and hollow inside.

The images still wouldn't leave the girl's mind. The blood that had surrounded her mother's dead form, the knife that had rested beside her, all of it repeated like an I-pod put on loop. Shaking her head, Gumi tried to push the thoughts out of her mind, there was just no point in moping over this. Yet, it kept coming to her mind. She had really thought that her mother was getting better. She realized now just how wrong she was.

Getting to her feet, the green head slowly made her way to the bathroom. Everything felt like a daze to her. Her legs moved without her thinking and she found herself gazing into the bathroom mirror, the reflection showing a scrawny girl with bloodshot green eyes and green hair all messed up and out of place. "What are you going to do…" She asked the reflection sadly, but received no answer.

Grabbing a brush off of the wooden counter, the girl ran the small object through her tangled hair. As she started to untangle the messy green locks, she decided that maybe a nice stroll outside would clear her cluttered thoughts.

After she took a quick shower and freshened up, Gumi headed outside only to see inches of snow coating the ground in its shiny white glory. The air, brisk and chilly, sent a shiver running throughout the girl. She hadn't been aware of the snowfall and couldn't help but think twice about taking a walk, but a growl from her stomach was enough to encourage her to buy something to eat. She checked her small white purse that she sometimes carried around with her, only to find that a twenty dollar bill was all that was left. She now regretted skipping work for a week, and decided to save the money and eat whatever was left in the house.

She placed her hand on the house's rusty doorknob, just about to reenter the house before a sudden force sent her toppling head first into the snow, a small gasp escaping her lips.

"Hi Gumi!" A familiar voice rang from above the green head. "I must have ran into you too hard, sorry"

"Hello Rin" Gumi grumbled, rising to her feet with icy chunks of snow stubbornly clinging to her clothes, chilling her with its icy touch. For a small street kid, the blond really had a lot of force, then again Gumi was almost just as small and skinny as Rin, so that's why the younger teen could probably knock her down.

Rin was teeming with energy, smiling and humming a tune from an unknown song. Gumi couldn't understand why the blond could possibly be anywhere near happy. Her clothes were torn, she was thin, she had to beg for food, she had to face the cold, and she had no home. She was just all alone.

The green head's heart filled with sadness for the girl, but fear also lurked inside her, for she had a feeling that she too might be living like Rin very soon.

"You ok, Gumi?" Rin asked with a small poke to the older girl's arm.

Bolting out of her thoughts, Gumi simply put up a façade and smiled, "I'm fine"

"No you're not" The blond huffed, "You haven't been outside for days!"

"….You've been looking for me?" The green head asked with a raise of a brow.

Nodding lightly, Rin murmured. "Yeah, you're the only person I have ever met to give me something without asking for anything in return, I can tell that you're a very kind person, so I decided I wanted to see you more"

Gumi was at a loss of what to say, she barely even knew this Rin kid. For all she knew Rin could be a FBI agent from China. Ok, maybe not that, but she still could be a thief. Gumi wanted to walk away but the way Rin gazed at her, blue eyes glimmering with hope, made Gumi want to stay in place.

A sigh escaped her lips as she wondered what made her care about the blond teen so much as she replied, "Well my house is right here, you can visit at any-" she was cut off as the girl sped into her house without even letting her finish the sentence.

Gumi blinked, and then slowly followed the younger girl inside.

Rin looked like a kid who was at a toy store for the first time. Her eyes were wide and curious as she scurried around the building. Gumi wondered how Rin would react to seeing a mansion, since she was this excited in such a small, old looking home.

"Do you live here all alone?" The blond asked, causing Gumi to stiffen by the sudden question, then to look down.

"I do now….." She whispered.

The energy seemed to drain from Rin as she hugged the older girl. "What happened?" she asked.

Gumi didn't want to tell her, but she found herself spilling out everything to Rin, who paid full attention to everything the older girl had to say.

"Your mom killed herself….." The blond murmured sadly, "So that's why you haven't been coming out…."

Gumi only nodded, tears threatening to escape her pained, green eyes.

Hugging the older girl's arm, Rin whispered, "Then how bout I live here with you…..?"

Gumi was shocked by the question as she asked, "Wh…..Why?"

"I don't want you to live all alone" Rin simply stated "It makes me feel sad"

Again, Gumi was left silent by the reply. It surprised her that someone would actually care about how she felt.

Without even thinking, Gumi murmured, "Of course you can stay…."

Rin smiled. "We can be the best of friends!"

"Best friends…" The green head whispered. She didn't remember the last time she had a close friend. She was always quite a loner, never talking to anyone and she'd always just push the sad and lonely feelings away.

Rin suddenly yawned. "Where do you want me to sleep?" she asked.

Gumi was silent for a moment, where could Rin sleep? There was always her mother's bedroom, but she hadn't been in the room since she had taken her mother out to bury her, so she never cleaned it yet and she still didn't want to. "The couch" was her reply.

Nodding lightly, Rin found the small couch and got herself all comfy upon it. She looked sincerely happy to be resting on something soft and warm, unlike the cold street pavement that she was used to. "Goodnight" she whispered.

Gumi gazed at the teen; a small flicker of affection was held in the stare. She lifted a blanket from a chair and very delicately placed it over the blond, who smiled softly in return.

"Night Rin" Gumi murmured, before dismissing herself from the room and climbing the stairs, wearily entering her own room. It wasn't even dark outside, yet Gumi found herself exhausted and almost as soon as she fell onto her bed was she sound asleep.

. . .

Gumi awoke to the sound of nightly crickets; it was 1:00 in the morning. "Damnit" she mumbled to herself, unhappy that she wasted practically her whole day sleeping. She knew that there was no point in getting out of bed, so she settled down, trying to get comfy again. That's when she felt something embrace her. Gumi quickly slapped at whatever it was by instinct, but as she heard the voice of Rin let out a whimper she relaxed.

"Rin" she hissed, "what're you doing here?"

Rin flinched before replying, "I…..I was having a bad dream and I…..thought you wouldn't mind if I stayed in here" She guiltily looked away, "sorry….."

"Rin its ok…." Gumi whispered, patting the girl's head. "I don't mind in the slightest bit; just don't scare me like that"

A small smile grew on the younger girl's face as she once again wrapped her small arms around the older teen, pleased that she hadn't mind her childish excuse to sleep with her.

The green head felt a bit uncomfortable at how close the blond was to herself, but at the same time it was the companionship she had been longing for since the death of her mother. She slowly returned Rin's hug, feeling warm and happy inside.

"Goodnight, Gumi-san" Rin whispered, giving the said teen a nuzzle to the shoulder.

Smiling ever so slightly, Gumi murmured, "Night" in reply before closing her eyes and listening to the nightly sounds and the soft delicate breathing of the girl lying beside her. At the moment, Gumi felt good about herself, about her future and about Rin. She believed that with her new friend, she'd be able to pull herself together and work harder than ever before.

The smile that was formed on her lips grew a bit wider the more she thought about it.

Gumi felt like nothing could ruin this feeling.

Gumi was wrong.

**Author's Note: Alright, Chapter 2! How'd you guys like it? Poor Gumi gets tortured doesn't she, hah, sorry Gumi. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it because I did this all during my classes :P and I actually have Chapter 3 finished and have started on Chapter 4 :O I'm actually ahead of schedule! I thought this over one night and I have decided the plot and ending to the story. There could be up to 30 chapters, but I think I will say 20 in all to be on the safe side. I'll probably update a chapter once or twice every week, so keep a lookout :P. Anyway that's all I have to say so, just fork and wing it! Amber Out! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was only 3 AM in the morning and Gumi was wide awake, just hanging up from an important phone call. She was sitting at the small, round kitchen table. Her paled face was hidden in her tiny hands as she sobbed. Her hope had been drained, everything was all going to just crash and burn, she knew it. She didn't care that her hands were now soaked from the tears that just kept pouring down. The green head just sobbed and sobbed her heart out. In fact, she was crying so hard that she never noticed the small hand that was gently caressing her back, until the voice whispered,

"What's wrong, Gumi?"

Slowly lifting her head, the green head came face to face with the concerned blond haired girl. She hastily wiped the tears from her puffy eyes as she murmured, "Did I disturb your sleep, Rin…I'm so sorry….."

"What's wrong?" The girl repeated as she slowly removed the small, white bow that was nestled on top of her head, using it to dab away any of the remaining tears on the green head's face.

Gumi grabbed the younger teen's arm and pulled her into a deep embrace, shocking the smaller girl, but only for a moment as she returned the gesture. The two of them stayed that way for awhile, hidden in each other's arms.

"Rin…." Gumi murmured the blond teen's name, voice shaky.

"Gumi, please tell me what's wrong" Rin whispered, worry apparent in her blue gaze.

Sighing ever so softly, Gumi replied, "I lost my job Rin….they just fired me this morning" Her eyes started to water again as she murmured, "It's all over now…."

"Don't say that, Gumi" Rin said in a reassuring voice. "It'll all be ok, we'll find you a better job, I promise"

Gumi stared at the girl with dull, green eyes. "It's pointless" she whispered, "Nobody would hire me, I'm a skinny, weak, totally useless person!"

"Gumi, you're far from useless!" Rin exclaimed, "I'm going to find you a job"

Gumi looked far from convinced as she let out a sigh, shaking her head lightly.

"Don't you trust me….?" Rin asked softly, blue eyes searching for an answer.

However, Gumi didn't reply, she only stared at the ground as if it would provide the answer.

A look of sadness covered Rin's face, which made Gumi feel even guiltier. She had only known Rin for about maybe three days, of course she didn't fully trust the blond. She wondered just how much the younger teen actually trusted her for that matter.

As if she had been reading Gumi's mind, Rin whispered, "I trust you, Gumi…" A sad smile spread across her lips as she continued, "I hope I can gain your trust soon…"

The green head remained silent as she watched the blond leave the room. She could tell by the look that had been on Rin's face that she had upset the girl's feelings. She thought about chasing after the blond, but decided to let the girl calm down on her own.

All the green head wanted to do was lay down and sob until she died. She didn't really know what to do with herself anymore. She started to question why she was trying so hard when there was just no hope left. Maybe it'd just be easier if she just killed herself, just like her mother had done. To end the pain, suffering, all the fears that had been haunting her since her mom had left her.

She was still so young, so naïve, she didn't know just how horrid life could be, and she really didn't want to know.

She slowly got to her feet and made her way to the sink. She turned on the cool water and splashed her face, trying to calm herself, but to no avail. She was scared. Scared what her life would hold in store for her.

Gumi couldn't help but let her thoughts wander to Rin. She admired the blond for how brave she seemed. Rin usually seemed so cheery despite the fact that she lived alone on the cold, dark streets of the world outside. Gumi knew that deep inside that she, herself was a coward and if she had been in Rin's place for any second she would have died from an anxiety attack.

Thinking about the blond comforted her in a way; however she remembered their last conversation. With a small sigh she headed out to apologize. If the blond was going to live here, they should at least be getting along most of the time.

"Rin…?" she gently called out, but had received no answer. "Rin?" she repeated, but she still didn't hear the light voice of the blond reply.

A small frown formed upon the green head's face. This was a very small house and even the smallest of shouts could echo throughout the place. In simple terms, if Rin were here she'd most defiantly have heard her calling out.

She took a walk through the dark house, hoping that Rin had just fallen asleep somewhere or that she was just ignoring her, but after double checking through the place she had to face the facts.

Rin was gone.

The saddened green head sat herself upon the small couch. She was silent for a little while, trying not to think about everything that had just happened in one day, but she couldn't prevent the tears from raining down. "I'm such an idiot" she whispered to herself, not even trying to put up her usual façade of bravery.

She was all alone now.

After what felt like hours of crying and letting her feelings free, the teen was exhausted. Her eyes showed the same dull hopelessness that her mother had always wore, and her small little form was shaking from the panic and fear that traveled through her. Gumi realized that she was slowly starting to break. Each little event brought her more and more closer to being shattered, like a delicate glass statute. She curled up on the couch, using her arms as a cushion for her head. Her eyes fluttered closed and before she knew it, everything went black.

. . .

The smell of food was the first thing Gumi had noticed when she awoke with a jolt. Green eyes were wide in wonder. The smell was so good that she couldn't even think properly as it tantalized her. She never knew food could smell so good, and her stomach was growling up a fit, just begging to find the source of the smell. All she could do was absentmindedly follow the scent to its source, the kitchen.

Mouth agape, Gumi couldn't help but stare as the familiar blond girl messed with pots and pans that she didn't even know she owned. However, the food was on the back of her mind as she pulled the younger girl into a tight hug, voice quivering as she murmured. "You came back…."

Rin, confused, glanced up at the green head whose face was still fresh with tears from her earlier crying. "Of course I came back" she whispered, "Did you think I would leave you for good?"

"I thought you were upset with me…." The older one sadly replied, "So I thought you didn't want to stay anymore"

"That's not true…" The blond replied softly, "I could never leave you like that?"

"I'm glad…" was all Gumi could say as Rin continued with her cooking. "Where'd you get all that stuff?" she asked the blond. She didn't really care where Rin had obtained the food, but she still was curious.

With a shrug, Rin replied, "I do have some friends on the streets, they were willing to help me if I bring some extra food for them later"

"I see…" Gumi murmured, a pang of jelousy shot through her as she thought about Rin having other friends besides herself. She didn't really understand why, but she wanted to claim Rin as her little friend and only hers.

"You okay, Gumi?" The younger girl asked, "You're zoning out"

"Just….tired" The green head slowly replied.

Rolling her eyes, Rin answered with a question, "How can you be tired? You were sound asleep when I got here!"

"Maybe I'm getting sick…" Gumi sighed.

"That would explain why you're always zoning out" The blond mused, "Why don't you lay back down on the couch and rest, I'll be done cooking in just a bit"

"Thanks Rin" Gumi mumbled as she returned to her spot on the couch, her worries starting to fade for the moment. The smell of the delicious food and the lovely voice of Rin's humming as she cooked left the green head feeling at peace. She felt that Rin could somehow help her through all the bad times that would happen in the future. If Rin was by her side, she'd be brave. She'd face anything life would have to throw at her.

She decided that she'd trust the blond girl.

After all, Rin had trusted her.

**Author's Note: Chapter 3 is finished; I have just started on chapter 4. Other characters will come, don't worry, it won't just be all Gumi and Rin, but they won't come until a bit later. Anyways I am writing a short note, I am unhappy today. If I get a bad grade on my Math test I won't be able to go on my computer so….wish me luck peoples. I also just learned that my bone density is much lower than that of a normal teenage, swell! I want to go to bed now, until next time, bye. **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"This is delicious" Gumi exclaimed as she bit into the rice that had been prepared for her by Rin.

The small blond blushed at the compliment. "Thanks, I tried my very best to make it good for you…"

Gumi could only smile brightly at the girl, "When did you learn how to cook?"

Looking down, Rin replied softly, "My mother taught me…"

Gumi was silent for a moment, before she asked, "What happened to your mom, Rin?"

The blond could only stare at her feet, blue eyes twinkling with pain and sadness. "I don't want to talk about it…."

Gumi nodded, she understood how much the subject seemed to bother the younger girl so though she was curious she decided it'd be best to focus on something else. "Nice day outside, right?" she murmured, changing the subject.

Rin chuckled, "It's snowing out there, Gumi"

"…..I knew that" The green head muttered. "At least it isn't anything like a blizzard"

"True…" The blond nodded in agreement.

Quickly finishing her meal, Gumi rose to her feet and stretched. She never had something that good to eat in her life, or at least that she could remember. It made her feel satisfied for once.

"You seem to be in a better mood" Rin remarked, smiling at the green head.

"Yeah" Gumi returned the smile. "It's all because I have such a wonderful friend to brighten up my day"

The blond head's smile grew wider as she asked, "You really think that I'm a great friend?"

Nodding softly, the older girl murmured, "You've shown me nothing but kindness, Rin of course you're a good friend"

Rin was beaming with happiness. "And you're a wonderful friend too" was what she replied.

. . .

"Can't you believe that it's already December?" Rin had asked one winter day. The blond had been living with Gumi for about two months and she had become a part of Gumi's daily life. The girl was currently baking a cake, which was something Gumi had remembered eating before. The familiar scents made her feel happy and a bit excited, though she tried to keep a calm façade.

Rin had been bringing all different types of food to the house during the past 2 months. Gumi hadn't even known that many types of food even existed, and as delightful as it was to eat such delicious foods, Gumi couldn't help but start to wonder if taking all this food was such a good idea. Rin said she had been obtaining the food from people she knew on the streets, but Gumi wondered where exactly the street people were getting such items. The green head felt like this wasn't going to bode well, but when she had shared her concerns with the younger teen, Rin just told her that everything was fine and that would be that.

Very slowly, Rin removed the small cake from the old oven, causing Gumi's thoughts to falter.

"It's almost ready" the blond smiled. "We have to give it a couple minutes to cool, we don't want to burn our tongues now do we?"

"Rin….." Gumi started hesitantly, "Are you sure taking all this food is ok?"

"I told you, it's all fine, you should stop worrying" Rin nonchalantly replied. "Aren't you happy to be fed?"

"I am…" Gumi murmured. "But…it's wrong to have your street friends steal for you"

"Its fine" Rin remarked, "As long as I pay the back nothing will happen"

"What if you can't pay back" Gumi anxiously asked, "What'll happen to you then?"

Rin was silent for a bit, her lips were formed into a slight frown, but it quickly changed into a smile as she said, "I can deal with it"

"I'm not sure, Rin…." Gumi whispered.

"You can trust me, Gumi" The blond murmured. "You do trust me….right?"

Nodding lightly, the green head quietly replied, "I do trust you…"

"Good!" Rin brightly exclaimed, "Now enough with that, the cake is about ready to be frosted!"

Gumi watched in silence as her friend, butter knife in hand, delicately dipped the silver item in a tub of thick creamy icing before gently spreading it along the surface of the light vanilla cake. It looked absolutely beautiful; the smell of the hot cake was just delightful. As amazing as it looked, Gumi for once didn't feel too hungry as her worries suddenly left her feeling sort of sickish.

Rin seemed to take notice in Gumi's loss of appetite. "Stop worrying, Gumi" She flashed the green head a reassuring smile. "Everything will be alright!"

Gumi could only nod; she felt weary and didn't want to argue with her blond friend.

Rin's cheery expression took on a more concerned one. "You're looking really pale, are you seriously that worried about this?"

Replying with another meek nod, Gumi tried to focus her gaze on the blond, or what had been the blond but was now only a blur of yellow.

"GUMI?" was the last thing the green head had heard before she suddenly plunged into darkness.

. . .

_Whispers. Whispers that blended with the wind surrounded the trembling girl as she sat on her knees, fresh tears of red rolled down her eyes as the voices laughed and mocked her._

"_Please…..stop" She whispered, hands clutching her ears, hoping that it'd help block out the scary voices, but no. They only just got louder. _

_Blackness surrounded her like she was being bathed in the night sky. Her whole body felt cold and numb as she pitifully sobbed. They told her she was worthless, a failure to society. Not meant to be here. She wanted oh so badly for them to be wrong, for someone to save her. In the end she always would turn out alone. _

_So alone._

_A sudden gasp escaped from her lips as she felt something warm and slimy crawl down her wrists. She stared down only to be greeted by the sight of her bloodied hands. Her soft breathing started to quicken as her shocked eyes widened. _

"_Your soul is stained red" A voice hissed, dripping with a venomous hatred that burned through the girl. _

"_No…." She whispered. "Leave me alone!"_

"_Stained red…..oh so red….." One by one more voices joined in as they repeated those lines, over and over and over again in a simultaneous fashion. _

"_Stop…" She whispered, once again clutching her ears, ignoring the feeling of blood against them. "STOP!"_

_Blood started to form around her, causing her breathing to become labored. She gasped and panicked as more and more red surrounded her. "HELP!" She yelped as she jumped to her feet, turning around in hopeless circles only to see more and more red. _

"_Stained in red…" The voices malevolently stated as the girl started coughing as if the red was some form of smoke._

"_No…." She gasped, choking and crying. "No….stop…." "Stop…" "STOOOOP!" her pleas did nothing as the red suddenly fully surrounded her._

_Silencing her._

. . .

Gumi's eyes quickly opened to the sight of a worried Rin. The poor blond looked completely anxious as she stared down at her friend.

"Are you okay?" She quickly asked as Gumi slowly sat up, a small pain throbbed in her head.

"What happened?" She quietly asked. All she could remember was everything fading to black, then red, then black again, but that was it, it had hurt her head too much to try and remember anything more.

"You fainted!" Rin exclaimed. "So suddenly too, you gave me such a scare!"

A small groan left Gumi's paled lips, her head was killing her and Rin's loud babbling wasn't helping her in the slightest.

Rin noticed that her friend was still looking quite pale. "Wait here, Gumi" She murmured, "I'll be right back"

The green head sighed as she watched Rin quickly leave, she noticed that she was currently in her bed, a small red blanket covered her from feet to chest and for a reason Gumi didn't quite know, this bothered her a lot. Removing the blanket and pushing it to the floor, Gumi shivered. She felt like she was forgetting something important, yet even as she searched through her mind she couldn't remember anything. She decided not to think about such troubling thoughts and instead wondered why she head fainted. She had been feeling just fine before, but now she felt completely awful.

Rin scurried back into the room, immediately thrusting a thermometer into the shivering green head's mouth.

A small moment of silence passed with the blond staring intently at the small thermometer.

_Beep! _The small ring signaled that the object was done its work. Rin tried to grab at it, but Gumi beat her to it.

The older girl let out a sigh as she read the numbers on the instrument.

"Well….?" Rin inquired. "What does it say?"

"…..101….."

A gasp escaped from Rin's mouth. "Oh no, a fever!" She placed her tiny hand on the older girl's forehead. "What can I do for you, Gumi!" She averted her gaze to Gumi's face. "Do you want water, or some soup?" Gumi opened her mouth to say something but was abruptly cut off as Rin blabbered on. "Are you feeling hot….cold?"

"Rin….." Gumi murmured, a bit annoyed at how paranoid the younger girl was acting. "It's only a slight fever, I just need some rest, that's all"

Rin nodded. "Right…..of course….I'm sorry"

The green head couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry Rin; I'm not going to die"

Rin smiled back, but she still looked a bit unsure. "I know…."

"You don't need to worry about me" Gumi whispered. Even though Rin's frantic behavior was a bit annoying, she still couldn't help but feel a twinge of happiness that the younger girl seemed to care about her so much.

"I'll let you rest now" The blond quickly whispered. "If you need me, just call, ok?"

Gumi only nodded, showing that she understood. She watched Rin slowly leave the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. She stared at the door for a moment before averting her attention towards the window. It wasn't snowing anymore it seemed. The sky looked clear, at least from Gumi's perspective. In her position she could barely see much. Only a bit of the sky and a small tint of a tree that was bare of its leaves but still stood tall and proud showed.

The green head had never really liked the winter. She hated the cold it brought and it never helped that the house was never very warm during the season. In fact, sometimes it felt like her house was colder than it was outside. The temperature outside was a freezing 33 degrees. She could compare her house to an igloo! She wondered if Rin would agree with her, she imagined sharing this information with her blond friend.

"That's silly" The imaginary Rin giggled. "It's not THAT cold, stop complaining"

Gumi sighed. She knew she should be feeling happier having Rin here to keep her company. However, the feeling of sadness still never left her. She always tried her best to hide it, but sometimes it was hard to hide such feelings.

"Why can't I feel happy?" She wondered aloud.

**Author's Note: Oh lookie here, I updated. Okay, well finally this story is starting to go somewhere. I actually was getting a bit bored of this story, but I took time to write it anyway. (Thank you Amber!) So anyway, today left me feeling in a happier mood, I got project diva extend today AND I LOVES IT! I always use Luka XD Also, we started watching a movie called Mean Girls in HS 101, I like it so far :D well anyways, thanks for reading everyone!**


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